Does it ever get better?
by lost soul's keeper
Summary: Companion to Does it stay with you? But can be read as stand alone too. After the events of Unexpected Changes Jervis Tetch is broght back to the asylum and Jonathan Crane is given a painful reminder about Becky Albright.


A/N: Ok this is a sort of companion to Does it stay with you? We saw Becky and Alice talking at the end up unexpected changes but let's see how our dear hatter and scarecrow converse!

Disclaimer: Mad hatter, Scarecrow and Becky Albright are property of DC comics. Alice pleasance in this fic is based on a character for Batman: The animated series and who is the property of WB, I'm just borrowing the name and tweaking her character a bit for this story.

Note: Part of the inspiration I got for this was from A pic on Devin tart called Fear of compassion by ~Teq-Uila. here's a link if your interested in seeing it: .com/#/d2OZ2tv if the link doesn't work then you can find it through mushi6618 who has it as part of her J X B group on deviant art. And yes this is a shameless plug for that group. :D

Joker: I still don't know why your spending so much time on straw head!

Me: joker so help me I will burn your bat plushies if you don't stop it!

Joker *pouts snuggling bat plushies*

Jonathan: you have plushies?

Joker: so do you! *holds up Becky plushie*

Jonathan: GIVE ME THAT! *Fight breaks out*

Me: *groans* I just had the carpets done!

Jonathan crane looked up from his book as the guards came in. He knew it wasn't time for their nightly rounds yet and so that could only mean that they were bringing someone in. Looking through his clear front wall he saw it was Tetch.

He knew he should just go back to his book but something made him keeping looking at the other man. He didn't know what it was but, suddenly it hit him.

Tetch was silent.

He was NEVER silent, well not often and as Jonathan looked at m he realized how still the other man was too.

Tetch was one of the most hyper and constantly mobile people he ever had ever met. He wasn't like joker, NO ONE was like that clown, but Jonathan had had several thoughts of cramming a book down the other man's throat along with tying him to a chair just to shut him up and keep him still.

The guards were gone now and Tetch was sitting on his bunk staring blanking into space.

Jonathan didn't know what made him do it, maybe it was curiosity or maybe he was just more fond of the man then he wanted to admit.

"Tetch?" His voice echoed softly in the hall.

There was no response.

"Tetch?" He tried again, he still didn't know why he was doing this.

"What?" came the reply and he jerked in surprise. It wasn't the response itself that startled him it was the abruptness of it and the absolute blandness of it. There was no emotion in it at. That was odd, The Mad Hatter was one of the more emotional rouges.

"Your back early." He said letting a sneer creep into his tone, after all it had only been about a day since he had left. "What did you get caught during your tea time?"

There was no answer and Jonathan tried not admit this was beginning to unnerve him. It was almost a ritual with the people here, someone escaped and then when they were caught they were made fun of while they ranted or insulted their mockers back and then someone else escaped and it all began again. Why wasn't tetch spouting off Carroll about jabberwocky's or arguments with time or some other nonsense?

"Or maybe you were too busy talking to the Cheshire cat, after all doesn't it turn invisible. Though I suppose it doesn't matt.." he was suddenly cut off during his second attempt

"She's gone" Tetch murmured dully. And suddenly Jonathan knew what was wrong. Ms. Pleasance of course. That's why Tetch had broken out. Thinking back on it he remembered the hours after Tetch was told by dr. Arkham that ms. Pleasance was to be transferred to another place for the remainder of her internship 'For her own safety'.

Tetch was looking at him and Jonathan felt nervous at the other man's stare. "Does it ever get better?" Tetch suddenly asked softly. Jonathan blinked confused at the question. "What?" he asked with a small frown. The shorter male tilted his head and repeated "Does the pain of being separated from your lady ever get better?"

Jonathan stiffened "I don't know what you mean." He said shortly not interested in such a topic. He turned to walk back to his bed to keep reading when Tetch's voice came again from behind him again.  
"But you went through the same thing with miss Albright". THAT stopped him cold. "Tetch you would do well not to speak to me about that. Beck Albright is a cowardly little mouse who didn't have the brains to take her chance for revenge when I offered it." he snapped.

"And you still love her" Was the quiet reply.

Jonathan gritted his teeth trying not to scream something that would draw attention to him for sedation. "Your Ridiculous Tetch." He said coldly before grabbing the book of Poe on his night stand to start reading again.

"You not denying it Crane" was the slightly smug answer.

He was quiet as he read then, or tried to read anyway. His mind was full of Becky Albright now.

He remember her screams as it was revealed their pasts were the same.

He remembered the glee he felt when he finally knew how to destroy her.

He remembered his offer to her on the roof and the look of longing in her eyes.

He remember the surprise he felt when she had refused and the anger that had accompanied it when she called him crazy.

But one memory stuck in his mind most of all. It was just after he had been apprehended. He had been unmasked and was being taken to the police car and felt her eyes on him. His back had been to her but he knew she was looking at him because he felt it. He had looked back, a foolish and weak thing to do but he had done it, and their eyes had met. She looked at him and for a moment he almost saw compassion in her eyes but then someone had called her and she turned away to hurry away.

Away from him.

He hadn't known he was crying until he felt the wetness on his cheek.

He set the book aside not wanting to read anymore and rolled over to try and sleep.

He heard his other half suddenly start whispering in his mind

_**I see the moon and the moon sees me**_

Without thinking he murmured the last bit of the rhyme aloud to himself

"God bless the moon and god bless me and god bless the one I want to see."

He would never admit that his mind saw Becky Albright's face when he said the last part.

000000000000000

A/n: Ok. What did everyone think? 


End file.
